Massachusetts business owners say further hikes in the state's minimum wage would increase their costs so much they might have to delay hiring or even move out of state, according to a business lobbying group.
About 71 percent of businesses surveyed last month say they would have to increase their payroll if the minimum wage increased to $15 an hour, according to Associated Industries of Massachusetts, which represents business interests on Beacon Hill.
As we close out 2016, and the Obama presidency, retrospectives will abound. Liberals will lament the close of the Obama "Hope and Change" era, and, to varying degrees, cower in fear over the coming Trump administration. But a review of what Obama supporters loved about his two terms — much of which is, in my view, rhetorical and not substantive, may provide a reason for hope about a coming Trump administration.
As Obama exits the stage having said "all the right things" from the point of view of his supporters, but having accomplished very little in the eyes of his critics, it is worth pondering that although a Trump administration may say "all the wrong things," according to liberal conventional wisdom, there may well be a disconnect between the rhetoric and the results. Consider the following:
